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Chicken Cordon Bleu with White Wine and Dijon Gravy

I think the best place to start talking about this dish is to describe the glory that is chicken cordon bleu. Imagine a hot ham and cheese sandwich. Got that image in your head? Good, now take away the bread and replace it with chicken. So this dish is already sounding insanely decadent and delicious.

I like to take it to the next level by having the chicken taste a traditional southern fried chicken and then I top the whole shebang off with a white wine and dijon mustard gravy. The gravy adds a great balance to this dish. When the whole dish comes together you get the saltiness and savory aspects of the chicken, sweetness from the ham and cheese, and then the zip of the mustard; wine; and garlic in the gravy cuts through some of the rich flavors to even the whole thing out.

Ingredients:

3-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 slice of your favorite thinly sliced deli ham per chicken breast

1 slice of swiss cheese per chicken breast

1/2 cup of flour for the breading on the chicken

3 tablespoons of flower for the gravy

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon old bay seasoning

2 tablespoons cooking oil

5 tablespoons butter

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix up the half cup of flour along with the garlic powder, old bay, and onion powder. Pound out your chicken breasts and then salt and pepper both sides of them. You want to get your chicken thin enough so that you will be able fold them with ease. Then place the ham and cheese on one side of the chicken. This will require some tearing and layering of the ham and cheese. Then fold your chicken in half over the ham and cheese, like you’re closing a book. Dredge the outside of the chicken in the flour mixture and then put it in a pan with the oil and two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Let the chicken cook for about three to five minutes per side. Once the chicken is done put it in a baking dish, cover it in aluminum foil, and then put it in the oven for 15 minutes.

In your pan over medium heat add the rest of the butter. When the butter is melted add the minced garlic and cook until browned, about two minutes. When the garlic is browned add the remaining three tablespoons of flour. Mix it all together until well combined, and then let it cook for about three minutes. Once the flour is cooked out and your roux has reached a nice chestnut color add the white wine. After about one to two minutes the alcohol should be burned off. Then add the chicken stock, milk, dijon mustard. Whisk it all together and then let it sit. Once your gravy starts to bubble turn the heat down to low and give it about three to four minutes to thicken up. Add salt and pepper to taste. How much sugar you add depends on how big of a fan of mustard you are. If you love mustard then you might find yourself not wanting to add any sugar. I personally am not the biggest fan of mustard so I ended up adding a little over a teaspoon of sugar. That way you still get the zip of the mustard, but the mustard became more of a background note. Just work based on how far in the forefront you want your mustard flavor to be.

For serving you can either have your chicken sit on a pool of the gravy or you can ladle the gravy over the top. I most enjoy pairing this dish with brown rice and green beans. No matter what you serve it with whoever you cook for will be impressed with what you just prepared for them.